Seven times legislator and former BJD minister Surya Naryan Patro was today elected as the Speaker of 16th Odisha Legislative Assembly. Leader of the Assembly Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today proposed the name of S N Patro which was supported by Forest and Environment and parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh.
Pro-tem Speaker Amar Prasad Satpathy declared Mr Patro as the Speaker of the Assembly after a voice vote in the house and then invited Mr Patro to take the charge of the Speaker. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh, senior Congress MLA Narashingha Mishra and others accompanied Patro to the podium of the house to occupy the Speaker’s chair.
During the election of the Speaker’s post, the BJP members were absent in the house. Patro has been elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly seven times, four times from Mohana assembly seat and three from Digpahandi assembly seat.
He was the Food supplies and Consumer Affairs and Cooperation minister in the last government of Naveen Patnaik who had announced his name for the Speaker’s post this time as he was one of the seniormost members of the house.
Assembly sources said out of 146 members elected to the house, already 143 had taken the oath by protem Speaker Amar Prasad Satpathy .
Three BJP members who are yet to take oath, will take oath before the newly elected Speaker.
